This week's guest is the multi-talented writer Giles Paley-Phillips who chats about his various projects, including his film company, writing career and his many podcasts. We find plenty of common ground along the way including the difficulty in finding time to read, writing to a soundtrack, and even being at the same Glastonbury Festival, although Giles was performing whilst I was a mere punter. We also discuss the annoyance of having to rely on social media whether we like it or not, and...

This week's guest is the highly entertaining Professor Richard Wiseman, who is not only a psychologist, author and magician, but also a podcaster. In this conversation we discuss our experiences with the paranormal, including lucid dreaming and theatrical superstitions, whilst exploring the psychology behind fear and belief. I explain the challenges of overcoming a criminal mindset while Richard recounts anecdotes from his early appearances on television and how he overcame nervousness thanks...

In a change to the current schedule we find ourselves with a curve ball of an episode that it is in effect something of an announcement. This might be a podcast or a therapy session, you decide. In this episode Steve interviews himself and discusses the idea behind his upcoming debut Edinburgh show and all the trials and tribulations leading up to it. They say talking to yourself could well be a sign of madness, so at least one of these Steves is in trouble. Trigger warning: There is talk of...

This week my guest is the wonderful Swedish actor Per Lasson, who joined me on his day off from filming Season 3 of 'Tunna blå linjen' to chat about such varied subjects as uncomfortable age gaps, close bonds formed in the workplace, and why comedy and horror do not mix. We ponder why Scandinavian TV has soared in popularity in recent years and why the anglicisation of their titles are sometimes way off. Per also tells us about his new project 'Whiskey on the Rocks', an amazing true story...

Today on the pod we have the absolute legend that is Bernie Clifton. Fresh from releasing his autobiography 'Crackerjack to Vegas' Bernie chats about his failed attempts to become a plumber which in turn led him to join the RAF and fly to football matches in Cold War bombers. Bernie talks warmly about his comedy cohorts including Bob Monkhouse and Les Dawson, the latter urging him to become a prop comic, something Bernie is grateful for to this day. Learn how Oswald the Ostrich came into...

This week's guest is the wonderful Jarred Christmas, who joined me backstage at The Tyne Theatre for a chinwag just before actual Christmas. We chat about bungee jumping in New Zealand, the magic of cash-back in the early 2000s and the role of social media in shaping the future of television. Jarred explains how the TV show Friends introduced him to the concept of different religions and explains why he'd rather throw a mince pie out of the window than eat it. Please Follow us on Social Media...

This week's guest is the indubitably talented comedian Olga Koch. In this convo, we discuss the rise of prestige TV and its impact on storytelling, how a mini-series might just be the best tonic in a time of over saturation, and how impressive Veronica Mars was in juggling so many story arcs. Olga explains how she grew up watching heavily edited episodes of Sex and the City on Russian TV and why she can't stand Pranks. We also chat about her experience of working on the film 'The Courier' and...

This week we welcome the comedy legend Sam Simmons to the pod. Listen as he showers Come Dine With Me, Dave Lamb and trashy UK TV with love and ponders why Australia has never had a sitcom that has truly broken through internationally. Sam introduces me to the hilarious 'David's Dead' moment from celebrity Big Brother 2016 and explains why he dislikes the term Dramedy. Although he loves acting and performing, Sam has decided that it might well be time to get a proper job, which is why he is...

Today we have a fabulous guest, the wonderful Mark Trevorrow, a man best known for performing as the hilarious comedy character 'Bob Downe'. We talk extensively about Bob's meteoric rise to fame in the UK after conquering the raucous late night audiences in Edinburgh, how he stays upright during his comedy cruises and how he starred in one of the first ever Digital TV shows 'Bob Downe - All Over Britain'. Mark sings the praises of Deadloch, Paul O'Grady and Kath & Kim, a show in which...

This week on Channel 2 we will be having one last 'Coffee with Karen'. This is the final part of a conversation with my friend and tattoo artist Karen Vranuch recorded in person. The subjects may vary, but of course we will hover around the topic of telly. In this fourth episode we chat about.... Please Follow us on Social Media (links below): All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn. Please buy my book 'You Shot My Dog and I Love You' available in all good book...

This week we welcome the hilarious Rob Rouse to the podcast. He joins us post toe-surgery to discuss the madness of the Edinburgh Fringe, canned laughter in sitcoms and how YouTube tries to emulate what used to happen by chance in the days before delayed live TV. We share our love of Stacey Solomon's 'Sort Your Life Out' and get nostalgic about 1970s kids TV theme tunes. Rob explains why you couldn't follow a Madhur Jaffrey recipe whilst sitting on the toilet and why he's conducting the...

This week on Channel 2 we will be having 'Coffee with Karen' once again. This is the third part of a conversation with my friend and tattoo artist Karen Vranuch recorded in person in the old studio. The subjects may vary, but of course we will hover around the topic of telly. In this third episode we chat about reality TV and the phenomenon of micro-celebrity, the ever changing rules of language plus the genius of 'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' and how they use current topics to make...

Today we welcome the incredible Derren Brown to the pod. Hot from his West End Show 'Unbelievable', Derren fantasises about running his own cafe and how he has a favourite spatula. We then discuss how many Derren's there actually are and share nostalgic tales of shoplifting, most notably when Derren managed to set off the alarm in Harrods trying to steal a Luther Vandross Cassette. Due to his award winning Cha-Cha, I try to convince him to go on Strictly, while he explains why British crime...

This week on Channel 2 we will be having 'Coffee with Karen' again. This is the second part of a conversation with my friend and tattoo artist Karen Vranuch recorded in person in the old studio. The subjects may vary, but of course we will hover around the topic of telly. In this second episode we chat about Karen's omnipresence in the local area, Czech & Slovakian kids TV Shows, and watching scary movie rentals with your friends as teenagers. Please Follow us on Social Media (links...

This week's guest is the incredibly funny comedian Paul Foot, who took time out of his schedule to come and chat about such things as his love for Angela Lansbury and Premier Inn, his disdain for obvious tropes in modern whodunnits and why the Heinz's monopoly of the baked beans market could well be flannel. Paul explains why the idea of an earth-orbiting Judy Murray brings him comfort and how he summons the ghost of Keith Chegwin whenever he misplaces important items. Paul also comes up with...

Friend of the podcast Tony P (from our pilot) returns for a bonus mini episode all about Fargo Season 5 with a wee side chat about The Tourist Season 2. Please don't listen if you haven't seen either of these shows as this recording contains enormous spoilers throughout. This episode was recorded in the new studio on Jan 22nd 2024. All music written and performed by Steve Otis Gunn. Please buy my book 'You Shot My Dog and I Love You' available in all good book shops. Podcast Socials: Tik...

This week we welcome Comedian Janelle Niles who tells us about her extraordinary journey from training to be a massage therapist during a pandemic, to becoming a comedy powerhouse in the indigenous comedy circuit in Canada. We chat about the new bounty of indigenous stories in modern television and film and how those voices need to be heard after being silenced for so long. We also discuss why celebrities might not be the best people to run an actual country and how renaming problematic terms...

This week on Channel 2 we will be having 'Coffee with Karen'. This is the first part of a conversation with my friend and tattoo artist Karen Vranuch recorded in person. The subjects may vary, but of course we will hover around the topic of telly. In this first episode we get to grips with the equipment before Karen explains the meaning of 'ova' at the end of Slavic surnames, which it turns out literally means 'belonging to a woman's father or husband' gulp! We discuss minimalist living and...

For our first proper interview episode of the year, we welcome the great Nicola Mantalios to the studio. We talk sourdough history and the price of bread in general, the perils of sitting in the front row and the differences between playing a character onstage versus being yourself and how, as a female comic, she has faced extra pressures that have influenced her onstage persona. I bring up how difficult it can be to suspend your belief while watching TV and how hard it is not to break it all...

Welcome to Channel 2 of Television Times, a place for exclusive bonus content. In this mini-episode I bang on about the glorious film that is Wonka and the amazing pool of talent behind it, while Paul relays a recent trip to the cinema where a severe lack of etiquette seemed to prevail. I admit to liking slightly cheesy Christmas movies while Paul talks us through his recent trip to both Disney and Universal Studios in Florida, and the ways in which both try and squeeze every last cent out of...

He's back! Friend of the podcast Paul Critoph returns to review the television of the last twelve months. There is much talk of elimination game shows, mostly Korean, including physical 100, Squid Game-The Challenge and The Devil's plan, as well as the James Bond themed game show Road to a Million. I explain how watching Always Sunny in Philadelphia led me to watching football documentaries, having had no previous interest in footie, which in turn led to the consuming of multiple behind the...

We're back with a Christmas bang and another clean episode of the pod, in language at least if not topic. For those with a keen ear, this episode dropped at 2.30pm, a perfect little nod to panto, a medium both of my guests know all too well. Today we have two heavyweights of the stage, Eric Potts and Brad Fitt, both of whom have been wowing audiences for years performing as Dames every Christmas in UK Panto, a genre I myself was involved with for a decade. Eric brings us memories of Classic...

This week on the pod we welcome the hilarious comedian Matt Hutchinson, who I bumped into quite by chance on the streets of Edinburgh back in August. We chat fringe audience sizes, overcoming the fear of blood and spiders and why you shouldn't say the word 'bomb' whilst putting your belongings through the airport scanner. We also discuss diversity in the casting of Jurassic Park and Red Dwarf and why the age restrictions on Netflix are less than ideal. We also ponder who might be watching the...

This week's guest is the Australian comedian and journalist Ange Lavoipierre, who describes the tricky task of balancing a career in both absurdist comedy and serious journalism in an age of social media. Ange tells us how, at aged just nineteen, she found herself in the presence of the Australian Prime Minister whilst working for ABC and how she struggles with theatre terminology in rehearsal. I explain why Crocs don't work in London while Ange conveys her theory on why some deaths are funny...

This week I chat to Cilla Jackert, the screenwriter behind the hit Swedish TV show 'Tunna blå linjen'. In a slightly more serious episode we discuss the role of the police in modern society and reflect upon the true cost of cheap labour. We also debate the positive role A.I. might play in future television productions and how it is now normal to track our children via technology. There is some levity as I explain to Cilla how I accidentally bought an overpriced wooden monkey during my first...